Heuristic of the Day: Ultimate Attribution Error

Is personality or circumstance to blame?

Here’s the catch - our minds are making the choice for us and it depends on who we like!

When members of another group - the out-group - show behavior we dislike or disapprove of, we blame their characters, ethos, or personalities for it and disregard the influence of situational factors on that behavior.?

We simultaneously also explain our own or our group’s negative behavior with situational factors and discount the influence of character, personality, or ethos. The Ultimate Attribution Error is a powerful bias that often disrupts harmony between people.

Ultimate Attribution Error can create several problems in evaluating people, products, and circumstances. The easiest way to hack it is to give people or brands the benefit of the doubt.?

Ideally, you can overcome the Ultimate Attribution Error by considering alternatives to snap judgments. If you judge someone or some brand negatively for their actions, consider alternative explanations for their actions before blaming their character or questioning their intentions. In most cases, there is a reasonable explanation for others' behavior you dislike.

Read more about Ultimate Attribution Error at the Heuristics Science Insitute: https://newristics.com/heuristics-biases/ultimate-attribution-error

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